Altheira Do'Ash
A accomplished but controversial priestess of the Magus Senate. With a long military history of ten years in most recent memory, and many millenia undiscussed prior to the Third War, there is much driving this woman. But the methods and means used in those years may have poor reflection on what she has accomplished. {NOTE: Timeline Dates are a rough estimate. This Page is Incomplete; future updates will be forthcoming.} Appearance A shorter example of elven physiology, Altheira is not a rail thin waif as is common in the Eastern Kingdoms. A curved body that showed tone and definition spoke of the time spent in more martial forms of training; certainly not a focus, as her us of magic was indicative, but enough to be physically fit. Ivory bangs fell down beside her eyes, the majority of her hair bound in a loose ponytail behind her to keep the majority of her shoulder-length hair free. On occassion, it will be straightened and fall down around her face, held back by a hairband, or occasionally just left loose. Alternatively, it may be hidden beneath a wide brimmed hat; mostly, it depended on the circumstances, but the ponytail was by far the most common. She has a kind face, almost matronly; where as many other elves retain a more youthful appearance, hers is that of a woman, not a girl. It was rather rare when her lips were not turned up, even slightly, at some small joke. Far more commonly, it was a full fledged smirk, or a grin, at a far more vicious bit of amusement. Personality Altheira is a kind elf, often smiling and willing to assist another. She demonstrates a calm at most times, but has been known to get fired up easily with some topics; principally, the thought of a one-on-one fight with someone she considers strong has been known to draw out great excitement, as has the prospect of larger-scale warfare. Three focus's drive the priestess; the first is the well being of her comrades, willing to take on most measures to safeguard them, as well as defying commands to assist those who need it. This further extends to a general sense of morality in her actions; while certainly taking dangerous and ruthless routes to accomplish goals, she does it with the hope of leaving behind a safer place for future generations, regardless of the cost. The second is a drive to test herself, often engaging in combat recklessly to do so. Examples of this is when, during a mission to Azshara, she was noted to have broke formation to counter-rush engaging orcs. This situation lead to extensive upper-body injuries, but when commenting on it later, she noted that it 'was proof she had gotten rusty, if a orc could lay it's hand on (her)'. The third is scientific, scholary, and philosophical advancement. She is noted to be very focused on such works when a problem is presented to her, or a matter of history is disputed; she will delve into her realms of knowledge to find all she can on such subjects, or to find a solution to a problem. History The Sundering to the Third War (-10,000 K.C. to 616 K.C.) Much of Altheira's history is unknown; even her surname is obscured, Do'Ash being one taken in recent years. What is known is that, during the Sundering, she was a minor acolyte, tasked with aiding the injured during the escape from the demonic hordes and the flight to Hyjal. What the intervening millenia held for her is not known, save for a minor part in fighting upon Mt. Hyjal during the climax of the Second Invasion of the Burning Legion, but her true story began years later. Renewed Conflict (617 K.C.) Altheira, having joined the majority of the Sisterhood in the Darnassus Temple, travelled to Auberdine alongside several other priests. However, en route, she fell from the ship during a squall, near the port. She washed ashore on the small island where the Auberdine lighthouse was located. There, she was found by a minor noble of Stormwind, visiting the elven land and having also been washed ashore there. The precise details of the encounter are not known, but it is known that shortly after, the priestess left Darnassus, travelling to Stormwind by the side of her new patron, Lady Visella. She was taught many human customs and practises, including a introduction to the Light, and in turn, helped educate her sponsor on elven history, as well as aiding members of her retinue with her healing arts. Of special interest was the role she played during the first invasion of Naxxrammas, when she came to the attention of the Argent Dawn for bravery and valor despite her weak magic. While fighting alongside those of the order who came to Stormwind's defense, she was taught the ways of the Light, and found many similarities with her own Elunite teachings; she began to practise both, finding it improved her capacity and use in battle immensly. In time, Lady Visella sent her to join a newly formed regiment of the Kirin Tor, operating from Nethergarde Keep; nicknamed the 'Ghosts', they were the only mobile force of the keep, dispatched across Azeroth to seek out and neutralise any threat to the portal on the world itself. For a time, their duty was successful, and their numbers grew. However, one threat was missed, and would cost the group dearly. Siege of Outland (618 K.C.) Lord Kazzak, the greatest and most dangerous lieutenant's of Archimonde, used a stolen relic of immense power to reopen the Dark Portal. Already mobile, the Ghosts moved to counter the flood of demons pouring out of the gates at once; almost to a man, they were slaughtered, with scarse pockets of survival only managing to live on thanks to the arrival of the main Nethergarde force, as well as heavy support elements from Stormwind, Orgrimmar, and the Argent Dawn. Altheira herself was one of them, and in recognition of her survival, she was gifted with honorary membership into the Argent Dawn. However, she declined a large role in the force, joining with those of her regiment in crossing the portal to Outlands in search of revenge against the demon who orchestrated the event. Alas, this expedition faired poorly; many of the Ghosts were killed or scattered, and the priestess nearly joined her companions in death. However, she was found by two adventurers, and returned to Azeroth, recovering at a dwarven hold. The thane of the hold, a odd dwarf, had long since opened his halls and family to any he felt worthy, and as such, she was 'adopted' into the hold; a dwarven keep of elves, Draenei, Humans and gnomes, as well as their dwarven hosts. She fought and travelled with them for the next year, expanding her knowledge of technology at their side; both the powerful dwarven and gnomish steam-engines that made up the Alliance's technological might, as well as the war-machines of the Legion and their power sources. These researches culminated in the development of a powerful engine, utilizing the power of Primal Fire's and the central cavity design of a Fel Reaver. It was theorized that using it, the engine could be used to power a experimental zepplin the Thane had commissioned for a expedition to Northrend, in search of a rumored 'Gateway to Azeroth's Core'. While she did install it and certify it's use, she was not part of the team that set out for Northrend. Her story once more went silent, until she surfaced, again, in war. War against the Scourge (619 K.C.) The priestess resurfaced shorlty before the Siege of Ulduar, as part of the rechristened Argent Crusade and holding the rank of Crusader. The details of the years in which she had been absent are not known, but when she returned, she came with a considerable rise in power; not only had her control of the Light been greatly expanded, but so had her understanding of the Shadow. They only continued to grow during the campaign, as she learned much of the Shadow from captured pieces of lore held by the Scourge and Scarlet Onslaught, and expanded her understanding of the Light in the creation of many specalist tools for the Crusade to wield against the Scourge. It was during this time that she was introduced to Arranax DeVin, a citizen of Dalaran who fought alongside the Crusade with his houses military forces against both the threat of Malygos and the Scourge. Lord DeVin was noted for his strong anti-horde posturing, a rarity from the mostly neutral city. She began to spend time with the noble, and became quite close to many of them. There are rumors that such familiarity was formed from a need in the Argent Crusade's camp, to study allegations against the House for it's use of Death Knight shock troops, but has never been substantiated. As the war entered it's second year, she was one of many assigned to act as a liason to the Dalaran based Silver Covenant, a Pro-Alliance faction within the city that supported the Crusade but opposed the Horde. It is believed that this assignment, as well as growing fraternization with the anti-Horde DeVin's, lead her to slow change from a peace-supportive member of the Crusade to a growing ally, and later member, of the Silver Covenant. In any case, following the war's successful conclusion, the priestess retired from the Crusade's front lines; she moved to the DeVin estate, begining to work with the weaver in creating new weapons and tools for Dalaran, using experimental energies and sources captured from the Titan complex and all opposing sides of the Northrend War. This was her position for the next year, between aiding in the dismantling of Scourge bases of power and returning to study with the Sisters of Elune in Darnassus. Post-Apocalypse (622 K.C.) Immediatly prior to the Cataclysm, Altheira travelled to Feathermoon Stronghold, to respond to rumors of a increasing war-footing from the newly elevated Garrosh Hellscream; it was believed that Feralas would become a battle ground, and as such, Sentinel's were being mobilized at the Stronghold to stand ready. As such, a contingent of priestess's met, to support their sisters, as well as to aid in peace discussions with the aid of druid's in the Cenarion Circle. However, before news of the travesty commited by Garrosh in Ashenvale reached the Stronghold, Deathwing re-emerged; the devastation of this act struck Feralas in the form of a great tsunami, which destroyed much of the Stronghold. Altheira, one of the few not at the new garrison being constructed on the mainland, was struck by a support beam in the collapsing inn; this lead to a crippling injury after her rescue, and she returned to the DeVin manor, spending much of war against the Destroyer supporting the House. The actions of Garrosh during this time lead to a deep-seated hatred for the Orc's in the priestess, and as such, she devoted much of her time and resources to the development of new war machines for the Alliance. However, she remained off the front lines, healing and supporting troops when they returned, and spending much time in her workshop. Reports say that this was due to a loss of self-confidence, the cause of which is not clear but believed to be linked to events that took place prior to the Cataclysm, as well as her injury. Rebuilding the World and the Legacy of the Last Emperor (623 K.C.) Arriving with the influx of troops in Krasarang Wilds, Altheira returned to the front lines as the Alliance and Horde brought their war to Pandaria. Immediatly, however, she broke away from the front lines, and set out to explore the continent, studying it's history and culture, as well as travelling between the temples and monasteries on a pilgramege of self-reflection. She discovered that her aptitutde for combat had not fully faded in the years spent mostly idle, but it had been greatly diminished; she began to train herself once more, soon coming to a level comparable to what she had been at during the war in Northrend. With her confidence restored, she began to aid the Alliance in small measures, making inroads with the local cultures and helping broker minor diplomatic agreements. Meanwhile, Arranax DeVin had become a important senator for Dalaran as it found itself in the midst of no less than a civil war. With the Purge of Dalaran fresh in everyone's minds, and the war on the Isle of Thunder against both Sunreaver and the Mogu/Zandalari alliance in full swing, his anti-Horde words found support. Altheira joined a expedition to the Island following the defeat of the Thunder King to study relics procured by the Silver Covenant, and, realising that the good she could do would be greater by their side, Altheira approached Arranax and old friends in the Covenant. She received their support in joining the Senate, and now acts in concert with them, as a healer, combat-engineer for the newly-developed warmachines deployed by the Senate, and most recently, instructor in mental combat arts. Category:Characters Category:Night Elf Category:Sisterhood of Elune Category:Priests